Demography

Question 1

Demography definition?

Answer 1

Demography is the study of a population in its static and dynamic aspects

Question 2

What are the static and dynamic aspects in demography?

Answer 2

• Static aspects include characteristics at a point in time such as composition by:
  –Age, sex, race, marital status, economic characteristics
• Dynamic aspects are:
  Fertility, mortality, nuptiality, migration, growth

Question 3

What is the second definition of demography?

Answer 3

Demography is the scientific study of human populations primarily with respect to their size, their structure (composition) and their development (change)

Question 4

What does demography study?

Answer 4

• change in size and composition
• determinants (causes) of population trends
• consequences of these trends, including problems resulting from them

Question 5

What is population studies?

Answer 5

Population studies is the study of the relationship between demographic variables and other variables such as social and economic variables

Question 6

What are the main components of population variation and change?

Answer 6

Size, distribution, structure and change of the population

Question 7

Define the following: Size, distribution, structure and change.

Answer 7

• Size refers to the number of persons/people in the population
• Distribution is the spatial (geographical) spread of the population at a given time
• Structure refers to the distribution of the population among the age and sex groupings
• Change refers to the growth or decline of the population

Question 8

How is population and planning related?

Answer 8

Population is the center of all planning.
All planning programs usually take the population into account.

Question 9

What is the first step of population forecast? And when is analysis applied?

Answer 9

• Analysis of past and current demographic levels is the first step in population forecast.
• Forms the basis for national plans for economic development and population policies
• Applied in areas of health includng public health & family planning, land use planning, acturial sciences, education etc

Question 10

What are some traditional and non-traditional sources of demographic data?

Answer 10

Traditional Sources
Civil registration
Censuses
Sample surveys

Non-traditional Sources
Parish registers
School registers
Maternity clinics
Immigration office registers
Social security files, etc

Question 11

Define civil/vital registration. Why is it called civil registration?

Answer 11

This is the continuous registration of basic (vital) events pertaining to life.

Birth
Death
Marriage
Divorce

It is usually undertaken by governments and therefore referred to as civil registration.

Question 12

Give a brief history of civil registration

Answer 12

• Relatively modern concept in its present format
• Churches have long maintained baptism and burial registries
• Provided insight on the demographic situation since the late Middle Ages

Question 13

What type of civil registration system does Ghana practice and what problems are associated with it?

Answer 13

• Ghana practices the passive system
• The system is concentrated in urban centers with just over 50% of the population covered
• This has created problem of low registration

Question 14

What is the purpose of civil registration?

Answer 14

• Primarily administrative
• To collect data on the vital events happening in a population
  Generally concerned with live births, deaths, marriages and divorces
• Help understand demographic characteristics of different populations at different points in time

Question 15

Give the administrative uses of civil registration

Answer 15

1. It provides necessary legal documentary evidence of a person’s age, parentage, nationality, citizenship, etc.
2. Birth certificate is used to determine a person’s legibility for admission to school, vote, etc.
3. Required for civil functions – entitlement to family allowances, insurance claims, tax deductions and benefits.
4. Death certificate provides legal evidence relevant to claims to property, insurance of a deceased person, right of surviving spouse to remarry, etc.

Question 16

What are the statistical uses of civil registration?

Answer 16

1. It provides data for measuring fertility, mortality, and other rates
2. The sex ratio at birth, the rates provides information for use in population projection
3. When census data are known, it can be used in population estimation.
4. It can be used in formulating population control programmes and for evaluating the effectiveness of such programmes.
5. It gives information on seasonality of births

Question 17

What are the two main methods of civil registration?

Answer 17

1. Passive
   - Government and civil authorities provide the basic machinery but rely on individuals to register their events.
   - The officers at the Birth and Death Registry go to the office and the individual goes there to register their events; births, deaths, etc.
2. Active
   - Here officials go round homes to register the events

Question 18

Give the types of active registration

Answer 18

Single round survey
- Officials go round the community once a year to register events

Multi round survey
- Officials go round the community more than once to register events

Continuous survey
- Officials employ somebody resident in the community to register the event for a commission
- Because he/she is resident in the area, he/she is likely to know all events that have occurred
- Officials however go round once a while to check on the information brought

Question 19

What are the essential characteristics of active registration?
What content is sought in active registration?

Answer 19

• Essential characteristics
  Universality
  Continuity
• Definitions and content
  Live birth
  Death
  Marriage
  Divorce

Question 20

Define Live birth

Answer 20

Complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy, which after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached; each product of such a birth is considered live-born

Question 21

Should all live born infants be registered and counted?

Answer 21

All live-born infants should be registered and counted as such irrespective of gestational age or whether alive or dead at time of registration, and if they die at any time following birth they should also be registered and counted as deaths

Question 22

What is the UN recommendtion concerning the minimum information to be collected for live birth registration - Data on event?

Answer 22

Data on event
- Date of occurrence
- Date of registration
- Place of occurrence
- Type of birth/delivery
- Attendance at birth

Question 23

What is the UN recommendtion concerning the minimum information to be collected for live birth registration - Data on infant?

Answer 23

Data on infant:
Sex
Legitimacy status
Weight at birth

Question 24

What is the UN recommendtion concerning the minimum information to be collected for live birth registration - Data on mother?

Answer 24

Data on mother:
Age or date of birth
Number of previous children born alive
Date of marriage or duration of marriage
Place of usual residence

Question 25

Define death.

Answer 25

Permanent disappearance of all evidence of life at any time after live birth has taken place (post-natal cessation of vital functions without capability of resuscitation)

This definition excludes fetal deaths

Question 26

Define fetal death

Answer 26

• Death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy
• The death is indicated by the fact that after such separation the fetus does not breathe or show any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles

Question 27

What are the three major categories of fetal deaths recommended by WHO

Answer 27

Early fetal death: < 20 completed weeks of gestation

Intermediate fetal death: ≥ 20 but < 28 weeks

Late fetal death: ≥ 28 weeks (also known as stillbirth)

Question 28

What is the UN recommendation concerning the minimum information to be collected for DEATH registration - Data on event?

Answer 28

Data on event:
Date of occurrence
Date of registration
Place of occurrence
Cause of death
Certifier

Question 29

What is the UN recommendation concerning the minimum information to be collected for DEATH registration - Data on decedent?

Answer 29

Data on decedent:
Age or date of birth
Sex
Marital status
Occupation
Place of usual residence

Question 30

Problems with cause of death data

Answer 30

1. Knowledge of certifier
2. Certifier may never see deceased
3. “Garbage codes”: missing, senility, etc . . .
4. Heart versus brain function loss in the definition of death
5. Multiple and contributory causes of death
6. Medical classification changes over time

Question 31

Define marriage. How is the legality of union established?

Answer 31

It is the ceremony or process by which the legal relationship of husband and wife is constituted.

The legality of the union may be established by civil, religious, or other means as recognized by the laws of each country.

Question 32

What is the UN recommendation concerning the minimum information to be collected for marriage registration - data on event?

Answer 32

Data on event
- Date of occurrence
- Date of registration
- Place of occurrence
- Type of marriage (3 types recognized in Ghana)
– Customary,
– Marriage under the Marriage Ordinance (CAP 127) and
– Islamic marriage under the Marriage of Mohammedans Ordinance

Question 33

What is the UN recommendation concerning the minimum information to be collected for marriage registration - data on bride and groom?

Answer 33

Data on bride and groom
Age or date of birth
Previous marital status
Place of usual residence

Question 34

What is divorce?

Answer 34

Final legal dissolution of a marriage, that is, that separation of husband and wife which confers on the parties the right to remarriage under civil, religious and/or other provisions, according to the laws of each country.

Question 35

Advantages of civil registration

Answer 35

1. Continuous monitoring of vital rates
2. May provide both numerator and denominator for some rates (e.g., Infant Mortality Rate—IMR)
3. Small area data available
4. Base for testing the accuracy of censuses and surveys

Question 36

Disadvantages of Civil Registration

Answer 36

• Uncertain coverage: Difficult to ensure registration of all the events
• Limited background information
• Time reference often inconsistent with denominator definition
• Information may come from third party
• Easily disrupted by political/economic events
• Literacy/numeracy
• Costly